1972: Divorcee Kitty Shea was hired
as the assistant dance instructor at Nick Davis’ dance studio. Nick
was in the process of divorcing his wife, Anne Tyler Davis. Kitty was
an orphan who never knew what it meant to be loved. Nick helped her overcome
her insecurities. She reveled in Nick’s attention. Soon, they were
in a passionate affair.

1973:
Kitty was pregnant with the child of a man who did not love her. When
Nick found out, he turned to Anne. After all, Nick left Anne because he
thought he was infertile. To Kitty’s surprise, Nick asked her to
marry him. Their union was anything but a happy one; but, at least Kitty
had the peace of mind that her child would have his father.
Kitty miscarried. The trauma of the situation caused Kitty to fall into
a deep depression. One night, she went to a bridge intent on taking her
life. Nick was able to talk her down, but she spiraled into a psychotic
state. She forgot about her miscarriage, and went about her life as if
she was still pregnant. Nick stood by her until she found her grasp on
reality again. She had to relive her miscarriage to regain her sanity.
Conscious of her life, Kitty agreed to a divorce.

1974:
Kitty and Nick remained friends. When Anne returned to town after a stay
in Seattle, she brought a handsome man with her. He was her brother, Lincoln
Tyler. Lincoln had left Pine Valley with a broken heart years before.
Kitty began working at The Boutique. There, she found herself crossing
paths with Lincoln. Phoebe Tyler was not about to let this romance go
unnoticed. Nick had warned Kitty about the burdens that came with dating
a Tyler. But Kitty could not help it, she was in love.

1975:
Kitty and Lincoln’s whirlwind romance culminated in a summer wedding.
Phoebe tried her best to keep them apart. She hired Claudette Montgomery
to seduce Lincoln. On the day of the wedding, she fainted in the middle
of the ceremony. But Lincoln and Kitty persevered. It seemed like nothing
could tear them apart.
That all changed with Kitty’s first husband, Hal Shea, came to town.
Hal revealed that he never signed their divorce papers. Therefore, Kitty
was a bigamist. Knowing this would give Phoebe ample means to destroy
her marriage, Kitty agreed to do anything to keep Hal’s mouth shut.
Hal forced Kitty to turn the Boutique into a front for his drug ring.
Kitty was forced to hire Claudette, now Hal’s associate.

1976:
Kitty could no longer handle the pressures of lying to her family. She
threw away a load of cocaine; intent on telling Hal their arrangement
was over. Claudette stole the load and overdosed. Kitty was arrested for
possession. In prison, she admitted to still being married to Hal and
being part of the drug ring. Phoebe shunned her and proclaimed that Lincoln
would never want to see her again. Hal and Claudette turned themselves
in as the main players in the drug ring. As a consolation, Hal signed
the divorce papers, leaving Kitty free to marry Lincoln.
But Kitty was content to be alone. She moved in with Mona and Erica Kane.
Erica dissuaded Kitty from reuniting with Lincoln. Really, Erica wanted
Lincoln for herself.
Kitty got word that her mother, Lucy Carpenter, was alive and living in
Minneapolis. Kitty relished her second chance to bond with her mother.
When she encouraged Lucy to move to Pine Valley, her doctor, Nigel Fargate,
said travel was impossible because of her heart condition. The next time
Kitty came for a visit she was told that Lucy had died of a heart attack.
Kitty turned to Lincoln in the trying time. He had never stopped loving
her. They reunited and made plans to remarry.

1977:
Kitty and Lincoln remarried. Kitty insisted that Lincoln visit his mother
before they left for their honeymoon. She was never going to have the
blessing of her own mother, but wanted Phoebe’s. When they arrived
at the Tyler Estate, Phoebe was already drunk. She mumbled over the words,
but eventually admitted to gas lighting Kitty. She had hired Myrtle Lum
to impersonate her mother. The woman she believed was Lucy, was in fact
a con-artist. Kitty could not believe what she was hearing. When she discovered
Myrtle was alive in Hollywood, the Tylers took a detour.
Kitty found Myrtle and embraced her. She still felt the motherly bond
that she had cherished the year before. Myrtle admitted to loving Kitty
so much she had to end the charade. Kitty invited Mytle to live with her
in Pine Valley.
Kitty began to have dizzy spells and bouts with blindness. Dr. Joe Martin
diagnosed her condition as being a result of an inoperable and terminal
brain tumor. Kitty did not have much time to live and decided she was
not going spend it in a hospital. She remained at home until the night
of her passing. She died in Lincoln’s arms.